Surveillance cameras are often used in security systems for both commercial and residential users. Examples of surveillance camera systems may include analog closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems, or analog cameras that send their signal to a video server that digitizes, compresses and distributes the video streams over an Ethernet connection into a computer network. Recently, surveillance camera systems have begun to use digital cameras, including Internet Protocol or IP cameras, that are able to connect directly to a digital computer network. The use of IP cameras may allow homeowners or businesses to view their camera(s) through any internet connection available through a computer of a 3G phone. IP cameras may also be moved anywhere on the IP network allowing for flexibility in the location of the IP cameras. Surveillance cameras may be connected to a network through various means of cabling, such as coaxial, fiber-optic or other types of cabling, or they may be wirelessly connected to a network.
The video signal from the various types of surveillance cameras may be recorded through a variety of means including videotapes such as VHS or through the use of digital video recorder (DVR) technology. Surveillance camera systems may have security personnel that monitor the video signal sent by the cameras on various monitors or televisions; however, many surveillance camera systems are not monitored by personnel, rather their video is only recorded for later viewing if necessary. By not having to pay personnel to continually monitor camera feeds, costs may be reduced, which can be especially important for smaller or less profitable businesses. This cost savings, however, may be offset by reliability issues with unmanned systems. For example, one or more cameras may fail during the surveillance, which may result in one or more zones or areas having no usable recording for subsequent viewing or analysis. One way to overcome this deficiency is to place back-up or redundant cameras in different zones so that if one camera fails, a back-up camera may still be able to record the area, resulting in uninterrupted recorded footage. However, the cost of the system would increase, due in part to having to purchase and install additional cameras.